Browse Hierarchy HST6773: Our Bodies, Our Selves: Sex, Reproduction and Identity in Modern Britain

Sex, selfhood and reproduction are intensely intimate and deeply personal; they have also been profoundly transformed during the long twentieth century. Fierce debates over birth control, LBGTQI rights, abortion, adoption, religious morality, racialised eugenic policies, reproductive technologies, and Queer identities have reconfigured the relationship between sexuality and selfhood. This module explores the history of these politically, emotionally and medically charged contests. How have attitudes, beliefs and desires changed? What power relations have underpinned experiences and understanding of family, procreation, intimacy, and the body? How have we got to where we are today, and how can historical analysis intervene in these highly charged issues? Together, we will draw on public history skills and techniques to offer a vital historical perspective on contemporary controversies surrounding sex, reproduction and identity. This module must be taken in conjunction with HST6700 History Research Dissertation.